Basic Ammeters and Voltmeters
Basic Ammeters And Voltmeters
Find out how to monitor the health of your RE system's generator and batteries
electronics | storage | wind | solarIn even the most basic
renewable energy system it is essential to monitor the charge in the
battery bank, the voltage and current coming from the
generator, and the current being drawn by the
power inverter or other loads. In this article we will cover
moving coil meters - the cheapest and simplest devices for displaying current and voltage in a system.
Moving Coil Voltmeters
The simplest way of monitoring the voltage of the
battery bank is a
moving coil voltmeter. These are available from around £5-10 each and can simply be wired to the positive and negative outputs of the battery bank. They do not need their own battery power since they take a tiny current from the batteries.
Pictured above is a 8-16 Volt DC
Analogue Voltmeter which is perfect for measuring the voltage of a
12V battery or
12V battery bank.
NEW We have an excellent top-quality 0-30VDC
moving coil voltmeter for sale in the
REUK Shop.
Moving Coil Ammeters
Ammeters, used to measure the current flowing into or out of the battery bank, are also available for a wide range of different applications from micro-Amps (e.g. in solar cell experimentation) to hundreds of Amps (e.g. in large wind turbines). Pictured below is a 0-20A
moving coil ammeter.
Since the current flows into and out of the battery bank as the batteries are charged or discharged, the most suitable
renewable energy system ammeters are centred on zero - a positive reading indicates that the batteries are being charged by the generator, and a negative reading indicates the batteries are being discharged.
Above is a photograph of an automotive
analogue ammeter which shows currents from -200 to +200 Amps. This would have limited use in most domestic
renewable energy systems except with very large
wind turbine generators and multi-kW
hydroelectric generators since the current range is so large - however there are many smaller range ammeters available - e.g. -20A to +20A which would be perfect for a small domestic wind turbine generator or
solar installation.
Article Last Modified: 18:17, 26th Feb 2007Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
Recommended Related Articles
People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:
What is a ShuntFind out what is a shunt resistor and how it is used in RE applications
Article Last Modified: 12:52, 28th Feb 2007electric circuit | educationStar Delta Wiring for AlternatorsLearn about Star and Delta wiring for wind turbine and other alternators
Article Last Modified: 13:39, 10th Mar 2008education | wind | hydroWind Turbine Axial Flux AlternatorsLearn more about the design of an axial flux alternator - used in wind turbines and hyrdo power
Article Last Modified: 08:27, 7th May 2008windOhms LawLearn about Ohm's Law and how it is used in Renewable Energy systems
Article Last Modified: 12:15, 23rd Feb 2007electric circuit | educationBattery DesulfationFind out how to desulfate/desulphate and rejuvenate lead acid batteries
Article Last Modified: 15:56, 5th Oct 2009storage | electronicsAutomatic Hen House Door Closer OpenerFind out how to put together a DIY automatic hen house door opener and closer
Article Last Modified: 10:36, 4th Mar 2011electric circuit | general | solarGreenhouse Heatsink Connection DiagramPutting together a solar powered greenhouse heatsink
system
Article Last Modified: 09:27, 31st Mar 2009solar | heating | generalMake a Simple Battery Status MonitorMonitor battery status with this easy electric circuit project - no skill required!
Article Last Modified: 12:33, 16th Mar 2007storage | electric circuitFloorboard Gap Insulation SealSave energy by filling gaps in floorboard with this new draughtEx insulation kit
Article Last Modified: 10:32, 14th Oct 2011energy efficiency | heating | shoppingHow Do PV Solar Panels WorkFind out how photovoltaic solar cells generate electricity
Article Last Modified: 13:04, 18th Jul 2011solar | education
|
|
|
